The Coming Dawn
by Cadey
Summary: Things start to heat up between Dylan and Beka after a trip to join up a new Commonwealth member.
1. The Coming Dawn

The Coming Dawn Title: The Coming Dawn  
Author: Cadey  
E-mail: [highlandspacecadet@yahoo.com][1]  
Rating: R  
Content Warning: If you're uncomfortable with sex, stop reading...  
Spoilers: none that I know of...  
Summary: Things start to heat up between Dylan and Beka after a trip to join up a new Commonwealth member.  
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.  
Author's Notes: My beta reader said this was good, so I'm hoping that it's still true. Anyways, the muse bashed me over the head with this particular gem about three days ago. Feedback is craved at highlandspacecadet@yahoo.com. Flames will be used to start a bonfire. 

----------- 

"We look forward to our meeting, Captain Hunt." The Dalaien ambassador bowed to the screen. 

Dylan inclined his head in return. "I'll be there tomorrow." 

The Dalaien's fur ruffled. "You are coming alone?" 

"Should I not?" Dylan returned innocently. 

"A female companion equal to your stature is needed," the ambassador informed him. 

Dylan nearly winced. He would have to ask Beka to go. The Commonwealth needed the Dalaiens to sign the Charter, since their empire stretched over fifteen systems and was the most peaceful and stable one. Smiling for the benefit of the ambassador, Dylan bowed his head again, though smiling was the last thing he felt like doing. He wondered idly when Tyr had slipped silently into his office, just out of sight of the projector, and how much he had heard. 

"In that case, we'll be there tomorrow." 

The ambassador's fur smoothed, a sign of acceptance. "We will be expecting you and your companion for negotiations." The screen blacked out. 

Dylan allowed himself a long sigh before facing Tyr, who had a small smirk tugging up the corners of his lips. 

"How are you going to get her to go along with you?" he asked in his deceptively soft manner. 

Dylan shrugged. "Ask really nicely to begin with, descending into groveling, and if that fails, knock her out and drag her along." 

"She'll kill you if you do that." 

"Probably," Dylan drawled. 

Tyr let the silence stretch for a moment before getting down to business. "You said that you needed to see me?" 

"Yeah, I was going to ask you to take Trace and the _Maru_ on a supply run for the _Andromeda_, but since both Beka and I have to go, we'll just take the _Maru_, so you'll be in charge here." Dylan handed Tyr a supply list. "That's the immediate stuff Harper and our food stores need. Since our budget got a large boost from the last supply run the _Maru_ did, feel free to let Trance get some plants, or something like that." 

Tyr silently nodded. "When do you have to leave?" 

Dylan smiled. "In about five hours. Just remember, you break the ship, you bought it." Tyr shook his head as he left, probably mentally wondering how Dylan would survive the coming confrontation. 

"Andromeda?" 

Rommie's image popped up on the screen. "Yes?" 

"Do you know where Beka is?" 

Rommie paused for a second, consulting her internal sensors. "She is on the Obs deck. Should I ask her to come down?" 

Dylan shook his head. "Nah. I'll go up there." 

"Good luck." 

"Thanks, I'll need it." 

----------- 

Beka stared at the scenery around the Obs deck, willing a bit of its serenity to soak into her. Resting her chin on a knee, she deliberately avoided staring at the inky blackness of space, choosing instead to look around at Trance's plants. 

"Hey." 

She turned to face Dylan and mustered a small smile for his benefit. "Hey." 

Dylan saw right through the smile. "Tough morning?" 

Beka really didn't want to discuss it, but she knew that Dylan would drag it out of her sooner or later. "Yeah." 

He sat down comfortably beside her. "Want to talk about it?" 

"Even if I could find the words, I doubt that you'd be able to understand it." 

"Try me," he countered quietly. "I might just understand better than you think." He nodded his head back towards the large window that they were both facing away from. "You can't stand to look out there, because it just reminds you too much of that empty spot inside you, the spot that the Flash filled up for a little while. Now that you're off Flash, that empty spot's back, just begging to be filled back up, but you know that you can't go back to Flash, no matter how good it felt." 

Beka stared at him, incredulous. "How?" she stammered. 

"Did I know? My older brother." 

She had to blink in mild shock. Dylan was almost as secretive as Trance when it came to his past. "You had a brother?" 

Dylan nodded. "Dane. He was about five years older than I was. You kind of remind me of him." 

"He was a pilot?" 

"No, he hated space. Said it reminded him too much of what he was trying to forget. He was an artist, and had this absolutely incredible gift that I couldn't match, no matter how hard I tried. But with his gift, there was that empty spot he could never fill, no matter how many beautiful things he created. So he turned to a drug similar to Flash, except users rubbed it on their skin. It got to where he couldn't paint if he wasn't on Nystic. I'm glad you stopped before you got there." 

She smiled tentatively, feeling marginally better about confiding in him. "I'm glad you guys made me stop before I got there." Shaking off the melancholy, she peeked behind her. The blackness didn't seem so forbidding now. "Did you need to see me about something?" 

Dylan nodded. "The Dalaiens have agreed to hear about the Commonwealth Charter." 

"That's great. What's the catch?" 

"I have to go there - with a female 'equal to my stature.'" 

Beka held up her hands. "Oh no, you are not going to drag me into another diplomatic dinner. Remember last time?" 

"Please Beka? They absolutely insist, and they won't hear the Charter if I'm there by myself. We really need them to sign. They have fifteen systems under their influence." 

Beka sighed. Sometimes he was like an eager puppy when it came to signing worlds up with the Commonwealth. "Fine." 

Dylan's face split into a smile. 

"One question, though. Who are you leaving in charge here?" 

"Tyr." 

"You're leaving _Tyr_ in charge?" 

"Yeah. I'm sending the _Andromeda_ on to get supplies that Harper needs to complete repairs. I'm sure that Rev will keep the children in line," he added with a twinkle in his eye. 

"You _are_ an optimist." 

"You're acting like this is news? You'd better get packed. We leave in about five hours." 

She shook her head as he left the Obs deck, feeling a surge of pity for the ship. "Rommie, I hope you survive the experience." 

"Me too," she answered back, in all seriousness. 

----------- 

The _Maru_ popped out of slipstream near the Dalaien home world and was immediately hailed. Dylan punched up the signal on the viewscreen while Beka unbuckled herself from the pilot's seat. 

"Unidentified ship, this is Dalaien space control. State your intentions." 

"This is Captain Dylan Hunt aboard the _Eureka Maru_, here on a diplomatic mission for the Systems Commonwealth." 

"Acknowledged, _Eureka Maru_. Please stand by." 

The screen projected the image of the symbol for the Dalaien Empire for a moment before the ambassador's furred face appeared. 

"Welcome to Dalla, Captain Hunt." 

"Thank you, ambassador. May I present Beka Valentine, first officer aboard the _Andromeda Ascendant_, and captain of the _Eureka Maru_." 

The ambassador bowed to Beka's image. "Welcome, Captain Valentine." 

"Thanks," she replied. As Dylan and the ambassador spoke, she directed her attention back to the controller beacon that had been turned on for them. The veiwscreen went back to its normal piloting/tactical display as soon as the ambassador cut the link. 

"Ready?" she asked. 

Dylan nodded. 

Beka brought the _Maru_ down through the atmosphere, and followed the beacon through the termination line - the line where night became day - and set the _Maru_ down in the assigned landing berth. 

"Nice," she commented when they got their first good look around. 

"Very nice," he agreed. 

An ambassadorial aide greeted them at the bottom of the ramp. "Captain Hunt, Captain Valentine, welcome to Dalla. I am Maraka, here to show you to your guest rooms." 

"Thank you, Maraka," Dylan replied courteously. 

Maraka bowed, and shouldering their bags, walked to a large building that rose out of the surrounding greenery. Once they got closer, Beka shook her head silently. 

"Trance would love this place," she muttered quietly. Dylan turned his head towards her and smiled. 

"I doubt that we would be able to get her to leave." 

Maraka led them through a maze of hallways and floors, until they entered a floor where there were simply two doors along the hallway. She bowed lowly and set their bags down on the floor. 

"You may decide which room you want," she informed them. "I will return later tonight to escort you to the reception." 

They both murmured the appropriate thanks as Maraka took her leave. Picking up their bags, they looked from one door to the other. 

"Which one do you want?" Beka asked. 

Dylan shrugged, then randomly pointed his finger to the left. "That one, I guess." 

Beka nodded, and opened the door on the right. She took one step inside and stopped, her mouth falling open. Shaking her head sharply, she moved deeper into the room, finding a bed almost larger than any she had ever seen before tucked into a darkened room. A filmy, silken material that moved with the light breeze that blew in covered the banks of windows on three of the four walls. 

"It's times like this, Beka, that make you glad you joined up," she muttered to herself as she set her bag down. 

"Damn, and all along I thought it was my charming personality," Dylan countered from behind her. Spinning quickly, she saw him leaning against the doorframe. 

"You know, I've seen ships and space stations that are smaller than this room." 

"I know." 

They stood there in silence for the moment, comfortable with each other. 

"So, what's to be expected of us during this reception?" 

He shrugged. "I don't know yet. The ambassador's supposed to contact me with the details later." 

"Too bad," she commented. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go exploring with me." 

"Well, you know what they say about all work and no play..." 

"It makes Dylan a very dull boy," she teased. "Be ready in fifteen minutes, or I'm leaving without you." 

----------- 

"I must say that I admire you, Captain Hunt. You have chosen a difficult life for yourself." 

Dylan shrugged. "Nothing worth doing is ever easy, Ambassador. Restoring the Commonwealth isn't easy, but it's worth doing." 

Ambassador Greyan bowed his furred head. "It appears that our glorious Empire is in agreement with you. Our member worlds have read and are agreement with the Charter. The Emperor and Empress will sign it officially tomorrow morning." 

Dylan had to smile. He felt a pair of eyes on him and looked past the ambassador's shoulder to see Beka staring at him with a questioning look on her face. Giving her a brief nod and catching her returning smile, he turned his attention back to Greyan. 

"That's wonderful news, ambassador." 

Greyan nodded his head. "I must confess I was one of the main supporters of the Charter. I remember stories handed down through my family about the Commonwealth, and I have great interest in seeing its return." 

"As do I." 

"And what of Tarn-Vedra?" 

Dylan looked sadly into his glass of wine. "Hopefully, one day we will find a way back to my home world and reestablish the Commonwealth capital there." 

Greyan looked surprised. "I am sorry, Captain," he began, but Dylan waved him off with a slight smile. 

"It's all right. Besides, there are always rumors and legends on how to get there, and there's usually a grain of truth in them, so we'll keep searching a way to get back to Tarn-Vedra through slipstream." 

"An endeavor I wish you the most luck on, Captain. Will you and Captain Valentine join me for a toast?" 

"Absolutely," Dylan answered. Casting his gaze over the room, he motioned Beka to come join him. Watching her walk towards him, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, and wishing vainly that she saw him as something other than a friend. 

Beka noticed Dylan's gaze on her, but she was sure he was wondering where she had put her force lance, instead of what she wished he would look for - that she wanted him to see her as more than a friend and a first officer. 

Greyan offered them both glasses of an amber colored drink. Beka sniffed appreciatively at the glass and smiled. 

"Sedalian whiskey?" she asked Greyan, who nodded. 

"May I offer a toast to the rebirth of the Commonwealth, and to the people who are making a dream their reality." 

"I'll drink to that," Beka agreed. 

"Here, here." The three glasses clinked together before the contents were slowly sipped, all of them enjoying and savoring the rare drink. Greyan finished his drink and bowed to the two. 

"I am afraid that other duties require my presence tonight, but I will see you both tomorrow morning." Greyan bowed and left the two alone. Beka finished her glass of the fine whiskey and felt the trail of fire the whiskey left settle down to a warm glow in her stomach. "I'm about ready to leave," she whispered. "What about you?" 

Dylan nodded. "I'm with you." 

With that, they both circled the room, making their goodbyes to their hosts and the newest members of the Commonwealth before exiting out of the lavish hall. 

Yawning, they both made their way up the stairs to their rooms. And then, their memories got fuzzy from there... 

----------- 

Dylan woke up early, despite all of his best efforts to succumb back into the world of dreams. Letting one eye open, he looked at the clock, and satisfied that he still had plenty of time to get ready and get something to eat, he indulged himself in a long stretch of his slightly sore body, only to stop mid-stretch when he realized he wasn't wearing anything. Taking a quick peek under the covers confirmed that he was naked as the day he was born. 

"Dylan, that is the last time you're drinking that much again," he muttered to himself as he made his way to the shower. At least his head didn't hurt too badly, unlike some other hangovers he could remember. 

Twenty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, he knocked on Beka's door. Smiling at the muttered curses, he waited patiently for the door to open. Once it did, he fought the ingrained urge to stare at Beka, and the simple tank top that molded to every curve, as well as the obviously old boxer shorts that made her long legs seem even longer. 

Beka was slightly disappointed that he _wasn't_ staring at her, but she merely raised an eyebrow at him. 

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to breakfast before we have to attend the signing ceremony," he explained with a slightly sheepish look. 

Looking at the time, Beka cursed. "I'll be ready in ten minutes." 

Dylan nodded and punched up the galactic news on a viewscreen, trying like hell to keep his mind from wandering to the shower that Beka was currently occupying, and almost envying the water that was probably running down her body at this very minute. 

That interesting fantasy was cut off when he heard the shower turn off, to be replaced with a certain sense of guilt. He mentally recited the words of the Commonwealth Charter to quelch the overwhelming desire that was present everywhere in his body. 

"Ready to go?" she asked, startling him. 

"Huh?" 

"Breakfast, you know, food, coffee, the reason you woke me up..." she trailed off pointedly. 

Smiling, he got up out of the chair, and followed her down to have breakfast. 

Later at the signing ceremony, Beka found it difficult to sit still. Not only was Dylan glancing her way more frequently than not, she was also quite sore. Once both the Emperor and the Empress had signed the Charter, everyone rose to applaud. Beka rose as well, even though her muscles protested even that much movement. 

_As soon as I get on the _Maru_, I'm gonna take something for this,_ she promised herself. 

She could tell Dylan was ecstatic, judging by his smile. His eyes met hers, and for a moment, there was something heated in them that lent a certain edge to his smile, then the moment was gone, and they were both being swept up by congratulations and well-wishing from the crowd. 

----------- 

Beka checked the coordinates three times before sliding back the pilot's seat and unbuckling herself. 

"Well, we're in the right spot," she informed Dylan. 

"Just no _Andromeda_?" 

She checked the time. "We're early. We aren't supposed to meet up with the others for another few hours." 

He nodded. "Since we have a few hours, is there anything that needs to be done?" 

"Nope. Harper took care of everything that was needed." 

"So what do we do for the next few hours? Play checkers?" 

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to hear more about your brother." 

She looked so vulnerable, he couldn't say no to her. "All right. Do mind if we can move this discussion to some place where we can sit down?" 

She nodded her head towards the mess hall slash recreation room in the back. Instead of taking a chair, Dylan sat against the bar, and she elected to forgo a chair as well. She slid down beside him and waited for him to begin talking. 

"What do you want to know about him?" 

Beka shrugged. "What he looked like, what he was like as a person, anything." 

Dylan nodded and sent his mind back three hundred years, although to him it barely felt like fifteen. He could vividly recall his brother's face, and even now, it still brought a smile to him. 

"Well, Dane and I looked nothing alike. Our parents used to joke that if it wasn't for our names, people could never tell that we were related. Whenever they said that, Dane would just laugh. He could laugh at everything, but if you looked in his eyes, you could tell it was just surface laughter. His heart really wasn't in it. When we were kids, and even sometimes when we weren't, I'd spend the day with Dane, just staying in his studio, watching him paint." Dylan laughed. "He loved having me there with him, although he would usually do a painting of me by the end of the day, instead of working on his other projects." 

"I don't suppose that you have any pictures of him?" 

He shook his head sadly. "Dane didn't like posing for pictures. He always said that he would much rather be the creator of one, rather than the subject." His eyes lit up as a thought occurred to him. "But if you really want to see him, if you can find me something to draw on and a stylus..." 

"Don't move," she said, quickly diving behind the bar and returning quickly with a thick blank flexi and a stylus. Handing them to him, she sat back down beside him. He set the flexi on the deck, and set about the task of drawing his brother's face. 

"So tell me something about Beka Valentine that I don't know already," he said. Off her confused look, he shrugged. "I usually draw faster if I'm talking too." 

Beka thought for a moment. "Well, since Trance already knows about this, I might as well tell you." She paused momentarily for effect. "I was born with red hair," she said, then smiled when he stopped drawing and turned to look at her. 

"Red hair?" 

"Yep." 

"How-?" he pointed at her now blonde hair. 

"Nanobots. My father designed them for my hair when I was thirteen. He said that I would get tired of having the same hair color all of the time. He may have been a Flash addict, but the man knew his nanotech." 

"Amazing," he muttered before starting to draw again. After a few moments of silence, he drew the final few strokes and sat back to admire his work. A mixture of sadness and happiness swept through him when he saw the face of his brother staring up at him for the first time in several years. He picked up the flexi before Beka could look at it and turned towards her. 

"Before I show you, I do have a favor to ask." 

"Red hair?" she asked, and smiled when he nodded sheepishly. "All right." 

Dylan watched in amazement as Beka's blonde hair turned a heart stopping red. "Wow." 

Shaking her head, the nanobots returned her hair to its previous blonde color. "If you think that's good, wait until you've seen plaid." 

"I can only hope," he muttered as he flipped the flexi over. 

Beka was quite surprised at the quality of the drawing. "I never knew that you could draw like this." 

Dylan shrugged self-consciously. "It's one of the few artistic things I can do." 

"It's good." Studying the man portrayed closer, Beka realized that Dylan hadn't been far off when he said that he and his brother looked little alike. Handing the flexi back to Dylan, she smiled. "He was very handsome." 

"Yeah, he was." Dylan trailed a finger over Dane's face. "I remember the day of his funeral. There were so many people there, so many people he touched with his work." He suddenly stood and started pacing the small room. The old feeling of guilt was creeping its way back. 

Beka stared at him from the floor. "He died before you were frozen?" 

Dylan nodded, keeping his face adverted from her. There was no reason for her to know that even now, he was still having to fight the tears that welled up in his eyes. "He was twenty-seven when he accidentally overdosed on Nystic. Apparently he had been using it for years before that." 

Sighing he shook his head, and leaned against a bulkhead, keeping his eyes shut. The soft touch of her hand on his face made them fly open, meeting her own tear-filled eyes. "You blame yourself, don't you?" 

"I should have seen it, Beka," he whispered. "I shouldn't have accepted that last tour of duty before he died. I would have been there to make him stop." 

A few tears rolled down her cheeks. "Don't do this to yourself, Dylan. You didn't know, so how could you have stopped him from overdosing?" 

"I was his brother and I let him down." 

She shook her head. "No, he let you down. Just like I was letting you down when I was taking Flash." 

He shook his head wordlessly and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't stopped, Beka," he confessed before giving into the tears. 

Wrapping her arms around him, she let her own tears flow: not only crying for Dylan, but for Dane, Ignatius, and herself. Once her tears had subsided into hiccupping sobs, she pressed her lips to his cheek. His wet eyes lifted to meet hers just before her lips met his in a gentle kiss. It seemed so natural for her to part her lips for his questing tongue while one of his hands came up to cup her head. 

She tasted so sweet, yet there was a certain spice to her as well, fanning the embers of desire into a raging inferno that roared through him. Sensation nearly sent him over the edge when she caressed his tongue with hers. Pulling her tighter against his body, he relished the tiny moan that came from her as she rubbed herself against him. Even as their tongues dueled, Dylan became increasingly aware of a chiming sound. Beka heard it too and jerked away from him as if scalded. 

"The communications line," she whispered before dashing onto the bridge, leaving Dylan behind, confused and a little hurt. Burying his emotions, he took a deep breath and walked onto the bridge. 

Just as he got there, Harper's image winked out of the viewscreen, even as the _Andromeda_ drew nearer. Dylan didn't dare interrupt Beka's concentration when it came to something as tricky as landing inside _Andromeda_'s landing bay, but he knew they would talk about this soon. 

Of course, once the ramp had been extended, both Rommie and Tyr claimed that his immediate attention was needed, pushing back his talk with Beka. He merely flashed her a humorous long-suffering look as he went down the ramp and back to business as usual. Beka took her time looking around the _Maru_ to make sure that she didn't forget anything when she noticed the flexi on the floor. Picking it up, she felt her chaotic emotions swell up again as she looked at Dane Hunt. Licking her lips, she found another taste of Dylan still lingering on them. 

_He kissed me,_ she thought. _Yeah, he kissed me, and I kissed him back._

----------- 

_The room was dark, highlighting the two people locked in an embrace in the doorway. They backed into the room, mouths locked, even as their bodies parted for short intervals to remove various articles of clothing. The door automatically shut behind them, cutting off any artificial light. The absence of that kind of light didn't bother them, though. There was more than enough moonlight to avoid tripping over furniture. _

He abruptly pulled his mouth from hers, breathing erratically. "We'd better slow down, otherwise we'll never make it to the bedroom." 

She merely arched an eyebrow. "And that's a bad thing?" 

"I suppose not," he answered before crushing her mouth with his. 

His hands roamed up and down her bare sides, pausing briefly to rub a thumb over hardened nipples, while hers caressed the broad planes of his bare back. Breaking off their kiss, his mouth came down to feast on her smooth neck, occasionally biting her, then soothing the stinging skin with his tongue. Her body pressed against his urgently, trapping his arousal between them, dragging a moan out of them both. Their frantic pace never slowed as they dragged clothing off, trying desperately to free overheated flesh. He pressed her against the wall beside the door as she wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering a demand to hurry. 

He lifted her effortlessly, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist before he let go of her, letting gravity drag her down, slowly impaling her body on his. The small whimper that came from her broke what was left of his control. Bracing his arms on either side of her body, he plunged in and out of her willing body, bringing them both to the brink of release. 

Dylan sat up in bed, his body hard and aching, echoing the need of his vivid and all too real dream. Rolling out of bed, he raced to his shower and turned it on, willing the cold water to work its magic on his overheated body. Letting the water run over his body, he leaned forward on his arms, desperately trying to forget the erotic images of his dream. Calling up Sara's face wasn't helping either. In his mind, Sara's face kept shifting and changing until it was Beka's face staring back at him, until her face changed too, darkening until it was the visage of the mystery lover from his dream. The simple thought - or was it wish? - of Beka being that lover was too much for his still overcharged body. If he hadn't been supporting himself on his arms, the climax that rocketed through him would have brought him to his knees. Reaching out a shaking hand to equalize the water temperature, he mentally chastised himself. 

_Just because of one 'incident' aboard the __Maru_, that doesn't mean that she feels the same. 

He nearly groaned at the memory of the heated kiss he and Beka had shared aboard the _Maru_. It was going to be a _long_ day. 

----------- 

Beka didn't normally like to run, but today she was grateful for Trance's offer to go running with her. The two women ran through the hallways and then down to deck eight before the silence got to Beka. 

"So, did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" 

Trance shrugged. "Harper flirted with bar waitresses, Tyr stood around and looked mean, and Rev kept Rommie company on board." 

"Sounds about normal. What about you?" 

"While we were shopping, Tyr let me get some new plants," she informed Beka with a smile. 

"New plants are good," agreed Beka. 

"How was your trip to the Dalaien Empire?" 

The question threw Beka for a moment as various images flashed through her mind - her huge room on Dalla, the ambassadorial reception, the lush greenery she and Dylan had explored, the ecstatic look on Dylan's face when the Dalaien empire officially joined the Commonwealth, then that look morphing into something different - something heated - when their eyes met, the kiss aboard the _Maru_, interrupted by the _Andromeda_'s arrival, and the shadowy figure of the mysterious lover her mind created - then she shrugged. 

"It was ... interesting. You would have loved Dalla, Trance. They had these huge gardens you could visit anytime, and..." Beka suddenly realized she was talking to thin air. "Trance?" 

She turned her head back as she started to round the corner, to see if she could spot Trance down the hallway. _How hard can it be finding a purple girl with a tail?_ she asked herself. She didn't see the two other beings running towards her until she ran straight into one of them. She bounced off Dylan's body and promptly lost her balance. 

Dylan grabbed her arms in an attempt to stabilize her, but she was off balance too much and merely pulled him down with her. Rolling his body so that he would take most of the impact, he hit the floor first. The only thing wrong with his plan was that he rolled Beka too, so that she landed completely on top of him. They only narrowly avoided knocking their heads together by Beka planting her hands on the deck to either side of his head. Their eyes locked, and what had been a somewhat comical and embarrassing situation, turned swiftly into something more. Both of their thoughts were plainly visible on their faces, silently answering some questions while creating new ones. 

The moment was broken by Tyr's voice. "Anything broken?" 

"Just my dignity," Beka answered wryly, awkwardly scrambling off Dylan. Dylan likewise also scrambled to his feet, hoping like hell Tyr didn't notice those few seconds where his definitely non-platonic thoughts were on his face. 

Beka looked back over her shoulder and shook her head. "I've, ah, got to get going..." she stammered. 

"Yeah," Dylan answered as she ran off. Turning back to face Tyr, who had a contemplative look on his face, Dylan smiled with a humor he didn't feel. "Up for a few more laps?" 

Tyr shrugged. "If you think you can handle it." 

"I do like a challenge." Dylan set off, leaving Tyr momentarily behind. He frowned as he ran to catch up, wondering what exactly was going on between the two humans. Everyone on board had seen the longing looks they shared on occasion, but that scene in the hallway went beyond unrequited wanting. Choosing to keep silent on the matter for the moment, at least around Dylan and Beka, he once again marveled at the tricks DNA played to replicate itself. 

----------- 

To Be Continued... 

   [1]: mailto:highlandspacecadet@yahoo.com



	2. Truth and Probabilities

The Coming Dawn, Part 2 Title: The Coming Dawn, Part 2  
All other information and disclaimers can be found in Part 1. 

---------- 

Dylan was holding a virtual bomb in his hands. He had found the photo-sized piece of paper when it fluttered to the floor out of his bag. Naturally, he picked it up to see what it was. Unfolding the paper filled him with a certain sense of dread, as if he already knew what was on that paper and knew that it wasn't good. 

The problem was, it was _too_ good. 

Dylan knew that he had drawn the subject, already recognizing his personal touches in the drawing, as well as the small DH drawn into the lower right corner. The subject was a sleeping Beka, completely naked, save for a sheet pulled over her, leaving one beautiful leg bare up to her hip. Trailing a finger over the curve of her body, Dylan had to wonder when he had drawn this, because several things were not adding up. He had never asked Beka to pose for him, and even if she didn't hand his head back to him on a silver platter, she would never pose like that. Also, her reaction upon seeing the drawing of his brother had been genuine. She didn't know before that point that he could draw well. So how did this picture come into being? It wasn't there before he left the _Andromeda_, but it was there after he came back from Dalla... 

His eyes closed in sudden realization. The night of the reception, the only night he couldn't account for in full detail. Of course, that still didn't explain why Beka hadn't said anything. Unless she couldn't remember either. But why couldn't they remember? They'd both consumed the same things. And he couldn't believe that Ambassador Greyan drugged them, because there was nothing to gain from it. 

Looking back down at the picture, he wondered how he would ever be able to look at Beka the same way again. Of course, he wouldn't be looking at her for long if she found the drawing. Walking over to his desk, he picked up the photo frame, the one that used to house Sara's picture, but had been replaced with a picture of he and his crew out on shore leave about a year ago. Opening the frame, he slipped the drawing behind the picture, making sure that it was completely flat and that none of the edges were visible behind the picture, then snapped the frame closed. Sagging down into his seat, he dropped his head onto his folded arms and gave serious thought to praying for his sanity, because serenity where Beka was concerned had flown out of his mind when they had kissed on the _Maru_. 

---------- 

Trance sat on a crate in one of the cargo bays, watching Harper work on a sensor board. She folded her legs under her, while her tail hung loosely to the floor, and took another sip of her coffee. Harper, as usual, was riding on a caffeine high and was talking a mile a minute. 

She paid very little mind to what he was saying, choosing instead to reflect on what had happened earlier while she and Beka went running. 

"Hello, control to your Purpleness." 

Trance jerked slightly as Harper succeeded in grabbing her attention. "Did you say something?" she asked innocently. 

Harper rolled his eyes and reached inside the bulkhead trying to reach a sensor. "I asked if you knew what was up with them." 

"Them who?" Tyr asked as he silently entered the cargo bay. 

Harper jerked and rapped his head sharply against the top of the bulkhead. He slowly backed out, cursing under his breath. 

"Do you _have_ to do that?" Tyr just looked at him impassively while he rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Anyways I was talking about Beka and Dylan. Something is up between them." 

"You've noticed it as well?" 

Harper snorted. "Noticed it? I feel like a voyeur if I'm even in the same room with them. What clued you in?" 

"Andromeda?" 

The ship's avatar popped up on a viewscreen. "Yes, Tyr?" 

"Do you have the sensor footage from deck eight, at the corner to sections twelve and thirteen from earlier this morning?" 

The image blinked a few times. "Yes." Rommie's image was changed to a camera angle on deck eight. The time stamp moved forward rapidly until Beka could be seen approaching from one side, while Tyr and Dylan ran towards her. 

"Slow down, normal speed," Tyr said. 

Harper watched in fascination as Beka rebounded off Dylan and pulled him down with her. From the angle of the camera, their faces were shot directly in profile, allowing the camera to capture the repressed desire on both of their faces. 

"Stop recording." The viewscreen obediently blanked, replaced with the normal 'wait' screen. 

"Whoa," Harper commented. "What the hell happened with them in the Dalaien Empire?" 

"Neither one will talk about it. They simply ask what the other has said." 

"Weird." 

Trance merely smiled. She didn't know what had happened either, but the possibilities were growing more distinct in her mind, and those that she could see were _very_ interesting. 

---------- 

It was one of those blissfully quiet days aboard _Andromeda_, where no one was in danger of dying, or being shot at. At present, _Andromeda_ was drifting through a patch of empty space between systems. Beka had the afternoon watch in Command by herself, reading a collection of Earth poetry. She hooked a leg over the edge of the pilot's seat as she flipped the page, then yawned. For the past two weeks, she had been prone to dozing off anytime she sat still for too long. Blinking her eyes furiously, she slammed the book shut when the words wouldn't come into focus. She wished that Dylan would hurry up and get to Command so she could go take a nap. Leaning her head back against the seat with a sigh, she shut her eyes and let her mind drift off. 

Thinking about Dylan, Beka was glad that they had recovered their normal friendly flirtatious banter, even though it took a little over two weeks of avoiding each other at all costs after their little 'run-in' in the hall, and another couple of weeks of being uncomfortable around each other. But even the balancing out of their friendship didn't stop those erotic dreams from haunting her at least once a week. Her mind had started superimposing Dylan's face onto that of her mystery lover, and she had to stop herself more than once from seeking him out while she was operating on more hormones than sense. Letting her mind drift off further, she slipped easily into a light doze. 

Dylan was about to apologize for being late, when he saw that Beka was fast asleep in the slipstream chair. One of her long legs was hooked invitingly over the side, while her hands rested on her stomach. He closed his eyes as the expected wave of arousal washed over him, along with the logical arguments his mind had created to counter it. Opening his eyes, he made his way over to her to wake her up. 

Beka's eyes opened slowly to blearily focus on Dylan standing beside her. "Hey," she sleepily said, before closing her eyes and stretching. 

Dylan couldn't help but look at her body as it arched up off of the chair, and as Beka opened her eyes again, he couldn't fully mask the naked desire held in them. 

Beka felt her heart skip a beat and a warm rush of desire went through her. After a long moment of staring at each other, they mutually broke the stare, wondering where their friendship was going. 

"So, what's going on?" he finally asked. 

Beka wondered what he was talking about for a second, and then realized he wanted a report. "Not much. Harper went down for a nap a few hours ago, and he should be getting up soon. He's gotten all of the critical systems fixed, and he's started on non-critical ones that have been down for months. The others are just doing whatever." 

Dylan had to smile. "Yeah, I just left Tyr on the basketball court. He's been practicing." 

"You're still beating him?" she asked with a smile. 

He looked smug about it. "Yep. It kills him that he can't beat me." 

She smirked. "Good. Well, it's been boring all through my watch, so I'll leave you to take over." 

"You're too kind," he sarcastically drawled. 

She smiled fully at him and swung her leg over the edge of the chair as she stood up. Her smile faded away as her vision swam. Shutting her eyes tightly, she willed the brief spell of vertigo to go away. 

Dylan frowned. "Are you okay?" 

She opened her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I just got up too fast." 

"If you say so," he muttered under his breath. "See you for breakfast?" 

"Yeah. See if you can make sure Harper gets to the coffee pot first, will you? I think tomorrow's going to be another boring day and I'll need all the caffeine I can get." 

He smiled. "All right. Harper's cure-all coffee, check." 

She waved as she got to the door. "Good night, Dylan." 

"Night Beka." 

Beka strolled through the decks, yawning. She didn't feel like she had the energy to make it back to the _Maru_, so she made the turn towards her sparse quarters on the Officer's Deck. She just passed Harper's quarters when the door opened and Harper exited. 

"Hey Boss," he greeted. 

"Hey Harper." She leaned against the wall at the entrance of her quarters, cursing as another attack of vertigo hit. 

"Whoa, you okay?" 

"I'm fine, I just need to lay down." 

Harper's agile fingers quickly punched in an override code to her door, and he helped her into her room, despite the black look she sent him. 

"Dammit, Harper go away. If I'm sick I don't want you to catch it." She shut her eyes almost desperately to keep the room from spinning, trusting Harper not to let her bump into anything. But that didn't stop her from feeling like her brain was spinning with the room. Beka felt her stomach lurch in response. 

"Hate to tell you Beka, but if you're sick, I've _already_ caught it." 

"Perfect," she muttered as she saw the brightening behind her closed lids. 

"You're looking green, Boss. Maybe we should be seeing Trance." 

"No, I'm fine, I just need to lay down," she repeated. 

Harper shook his head, but acquiesced to her wishes. Letting her slide down onto her bed, he unsnapped her boots and pulled them off. He frowned as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "Okay, I'm calling Trance." 

"No. Harper, I promise that if I'm not better in a couple of days, I'll go see her. Okay?" 

He knew better than to argue with her, since she had let him slide by several times when he was sick. "All right. Get some sleep." 

She smiled. "I will, but take some of your own advice." 

He waved in acknowledgement as he speeded out the door. Now that she was horizontal, that sickening vertigo was passing, and she could actually breathe without feeling like she was going to get sick at any second. Unzipping her vest, she peeled it off while lying down, and pulled off her pants as well, dropping them both beside her bed. Curling under the covers, she had no trouble dropping back off into sleep. 

---------- 

Two days later, Beka stumbled into the Medical bay, leaning heavily against one of the beds there. Bowing her head, she swallowed convulsively to keep her breakfast where it was supposed to be. The door opened once again to admit Trance. 

"Beka, are you all right?" 

"I think I'm sick." 

"Oh," Trance said as she went over to one of the scanners. Beka laid down on the bed and waited for Trance to finish the scan. 

"What's making you sick?" 

"Vertigo." 

"Anything else?" 

Beka shrugged. "Just being tired lately." 

The scan finished, and Trance blinked. "According to the scan, there's nothing wrong with you." 

"What?" 

Trance shrugged. "No inner ear imbalances, which would cause the vertigo, and no viruses were detected, either." 

"Trance, there's got to be something wrong with me. I've never gotten vertigo before." 

"All right. Lay back down, I'll run some more scans." 

Beka laid back down, and listened to Trance moving around. Her eyes slipped shut until she heard Trance's little "Oh" of discovery. 

Trance's eyes were as wide as china plates, making her look even more child-like. 

"Well?" Beka asked expectantly. 

Trance bit her lip, trying to decide how to phrase her news. Beka likes blunt, she told herself. "Your body hasn't adjusted to the presence of the baby yet, and since you're both using the same blood, you aren't getting as much oxygen as you're used to, giving you the vertigo. It should be going away in a couple of months." 

Beka sat there with her mouth open for a second before regaining her wits. "What?" 

"You're about six weeks pregnant," Trance quietly said. 

"That's impossible. I mean, I haven't _done_ anything to get pregnant!" 

Beka was worked up enough about her supposed pregnancy, she didn't hear the doors to Medical open, or see Trance's glance over her shoulder. 

Trance narrowed her eyes slightly. Like a map laid out before her, the possibilities appeared, as well as the knowledge of what to do to achieve those possibilities. She could see Dylan opening his mouth to speak, and knew she had to act fast. Grasping onto the possibility she wanted in her mind, her eyes blurred for a nanosecond as the knowledge expanded into a well-drawn course of action. 

She frowned at Beka, cutting Dylan off before he could voice a word. "You need to calm down, Beka. Upsetting yourself isn't healthy for you or the baby." 

Trance! I _cannot_ be pregnant! For God's sake, I haven't even had sex in _four_ years!" Beka was shouting now, guaranteeing that Dylan, as well as anyone passing in the hall, could hear her. 

"Please calm down, Beka," she begged, using her most innocent look. When Beka closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she continued. "The scans say six weeks. All you have to do is remember what happened six weeks ago." Trance kept a careful watch on Dylan out of the corner of her eyes. Since her peripheral vision was much greater than a human's, she could see him clearly, watching them open-mouthed. 

"Easy for you to say," Beka groused. Thinking back six weeks, she seemed to come to her conclusion at the same time as Dylan. "Oh my God." 

"What?" 

"Six weeks ago Dylan and I went to Dalla." 

Trance frowned. "So?" 

"So, I can't remember one of the nights I was there." 

"Couldn't you just ask Dylan what he remembers?" 

Beka snorted. "Sure. And when he asks why I want to know, what am I supposed to say? 'Gee, Dylan, I don't quite remember what happened, and call me crazy, but I would like to know who the father of my child is.' He would just get this 'Beka, how could you?' look on his face. And then there would come the recriminations of being drunk, which I _wasn't_, and sleeping with a complete stranger. And to top it all off, now I'm pregnant." She sighed. 

Trance saw Dylan move silently up behind Beka. Her eyes widened in the best surprised look she could do. "Dylan!" 

Beka turned around quickly on the bed. A blush ran up her neck and flooded her cheeks with color when she saw his carefully schooled expression. Surprise quickly faded into curious dread, but before she could speak, he did. 

"Walk with me," was all he said before turning and walking out of Medical. Glancing at Trance, who looked slightly hopeful, Beka walked carefully out of Medical, completely missing the triumphant smile that crossed Trance's face, and the high-spirited jumping that followed. 

---------- 

Dylan stayed silent as they walked through the halls, and all the way into his office, where he immediately went for the picture frame that sat on his desk. Beka was fed up with his silence and crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

"Look, Dylan, it's fairly obvious that you heard a great deal of our conversation, so why don't you..." she trailed off when Dylan suddenly thrust a piece of paper into one of her hands. Unfolding her arms, she looked at the paper, and was halfway back to looking at Dylan, when what was on the paper registered. Doing a classic double take, she stared at the paper for a long time, seeing herself drawn sleeping and naked, with barely a sheet covering her body. 

"Where did you get this?" Her voice was as calm and cool as a glacier lake. 

"That's a good question, considering I don't remember drawing it." 

"You drew this?" 

"I drew it," he confirmed. "And since I highly doubt that you sleep naked every night, it's doubtful that I snuck in on you while you were sleeping to draw it." 

That seemed to fizzle some of her anger. "So when did you find this?" she asked as she held up the paper. 

"About six weeks ago." 

Anger turned to absolute, blinding shock. Beka grabbed a chair and sank into it. 

"You know, I can't remember one of our nights on Dalla, either. More specifically, the night of the reception." Beka's eyes widened. "That's what I thought. So what did we do?" 

Beka snorted. "I think we both know what we did. But this is my problem, Dylan. You don't have to get involved just because you feel responsible." 

"What makes you think that?" 

Rolling her eyes, she got out of the chair. "Because you've made it clear that you just want to be friends." 

Grabbing both of her arms, his eyes burned as they glared into hers. "Friends? Beka, if I just wanted to be friends with you, I wouldn't be taking a cold shower _every night_. You-" 

"Want to be much more than friends," she said, cutting him off. 

His hands left her arms and cupped her face between them. Bringing his lips to hers, they immediately parted. He didn't feel bad about practically devouring her like a starving man, since she was giving back exactly what she got and a little bit more. Her hands were locked in his hair and their bodies were pressed close together when they broke the kiss for a need of air. 

"Beka..." he breathed, trying desperately to control his arousal. 

"We can go slow later," she replied to his unasked question, trying to unsnap the fasteners for his uniform. 

"Thank God." 

Her lips curved into an inviting smile as he recaptured them in another desperate kiss. When they next came up for air, his naked body was pressing her equally naked body against the wall next to the door. Neither knew exactly how they got each other undressed, but it didn't seem to matter. He kissed his way down her neck to her breasts, and lovingly worshipped them with his mouth. One of his hands ghosted down to rest lightly against where their child was. Her body arched away from the wall with a strangled cry as his other found her center, already damp. He lightly stroked her, working her into a frenzy of need. 

She was just about to scald him with curses when he stopped those lovely movements of his hand, when he plunged inside her. She exploded around him, and he captured her soft scream with his mouth. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he thrust in and out once, almost lazily. 

"_Dylan_." The breathy moan of his name sorely tested his control, and her movement against him was enough to break it. Wrapping her legs around his waist, he thrust in and out of her, sending them both over the edge with their twin cries of release echoing off the walls. 

---------- 

Trance bounced into Command, a smile firmly on her face. Rommie turned to look at her curiously. 

"Why so happy?" 

Trance smiled mysteriously. "No reason in particular. Just... helping the coming dawn along a little." 

Rommie shrugged, knowing that sooner or later, Trance's statement would be explained. 

-End Part 2 


End file.
